August 21, 2012 courtesy photo of Leonard Allen Christian Jr., 21. Christian, the son of a St. Paul homicide victim has been jailed on suspicion of shooting a man Tuesday, Aug. 21, 2012. A 22-year-old man was shot in front of a house in the 900 block of Marshall Avenue in St. Paul at 10:15 a.m. Tuesday, police said. He was taken to the hospital, where he is â€œrecovering from his critical injuries,â€ police spokesman Howie Padilla said Wednesday. Leonard Allen Christian Jr., 21, was arrested at 4 p.m. Tuesday on suspicion of attempted murder in the case. Photo courtesy of the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office.

A week before Leonard Allen Christian Jr. allegedly shot his friend in St. Paul, the 21-year-old man asked the victim whether his two half-brothers were involved in the fatal shooting of Christian’s father, according to a criminal complaint filed Thursday, Aug. 23.

The victim, who was listed in good condition Thursday afternoon, had told Christian he didn’t know because his brothers weren’t saying anything, Christian told police.

The Ramsey County attorney’s office charged Christian, of Brooklyn Park, with second-degree attempted murder in the shooting Tuesday of his 22-year-old friend.

According to the complaint:

R.D. Nixon was sitting on the steps in front of a home in the 900 block of Marshall Avenue at 10:15 a.m. Tuesday. A woman and her 4-year-old son were playing on the sidewalk in front of the house.

Another woman was at the front-porch door when she heard someone say, “What’s up now?” and then utter two expletives and a racial slur. She saw Christian, whom she’s known for years, rounding the corner of the house holding a handgun.

Christian fired at Nixon from 15 feet away, the woman said. Nixon fell to the ground, and the two men fired at each other.

The mother of the 4-year-old grabbed him and ran across the street. She yelled at Nixon to follow and he did. Residents of the home across the street scurried Nixon out the back, into a car and to a hospital.

Nixon had a gunshot wound to his chest. He’d also been shot in the upper right thigh, and the bullet had exited that leg and entered his left thigh.

Police found a black athletic sandal behind the home where the shooting occurred. Officers checked with hospitals and found Christian was at the University of Minnesota Medical Center, Fairview.

Officers collected Christian’s belongings as evidence; among them was one black sandal. Police arrested Christian. When officers went to Christian’s mother’s house in Brooklyn Park, they found her and two men trying to clean blood off the driver’s seat of her car.

Christian told police he’d been shot in Minneapolis when he’d gone to a gas station and a man asked to use his cellphone, and he had refused. He was shot in the leg, Christian told police.

Christian said he’d avoided St. Paul since his father was killed because he knew he had an arrest warrant. When Sgt. Jake Peterson asked Christian if he knew Nixon, Christian said the man was his best friend and mentioned talking with him a week ago about his father’s death and Nixon’s half-brothers.

Peterson told Christian there was information that he was present when Nixon was shot. “Christian stared at the ground and mumbled in the affirmative,” the complaint said.

Peterson also told Christian he had not been shot in Minneapolis, to which Christian responded, “I didn’t do nothin’ to that dude.” He said he had nothing else to talk about and had already told officers the truth.

Christian said: “Can I ask you one thing? One thing? Can you all figure out who killed my dad?” the complaint said. “When asked if he shot Nixon, Christian replied, ‘What would I shoot (Nixon) for?’ When asked if Nixon shot him, Christian mumbled a negative response and said, ‘I don’t come to St. Paul.’ ”

Peterson showed Christian the sandal recovered from him in the hospital, which appeared to match the one found near the shooting, the complaint said. Peterson told Christian the other sandal was found in the back yard of the Marshall Avenue shooting site.

“When asked why his sandal was there, Christian mumbled, put his head down on the table, and said nothing else,” the complaint said.

Police said they are still investigating the March 30 killing of Christian’s father, Leonard Allen Christian Sr., 56. He was shot in his home in the 1000 block of Central Avenue. A relative has said he does not believe Christian Sr. was the intended target.

Asked whether police suspect any of Nixon’s relatives in the homicide, spokesman Howie Padilla said he wouldn’t be talking about suspects because it’s an ongoing investigation.

Christian and Nixon declined interview requests Thursday made through the jail and hospital, respectively.

Mara Gottfried has been a Pioneer Press reporter since 2001, mostly covering public safety. Gottfried lived in St. Paul as a young child and returned to the Twin Cities after graduating from the University of Maryland. You can reach her at 651-228-5262.

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